Recent studies are changing how we think about beer.
Researchers at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden found beer can reduce your risk for kidney cancer, and it isn't a subtle reduction. Averaging one to two beers a day will reduce your risk for kidney cancer by a whopping 40%! 855 kidney cancer patients, and 1204 cancer free subjects were studied, according to the study published in the British Journal of Cancer. Researchers think it is the antioxidants and antimutagenics (a substance that can bond to cancer causing substances) present in alcoholic drinks are responsible for the health benefits.
Beers to your health!
In Spain, researchers found beer reduces your risk of Alzheimer's disease. They think the silicon present in beer protects against the effects of aluminum on the brain. The study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology reported "moderate beer consumption… could perhaps be taken into account as a component of the dietary habits of the population." The study was on mice given aluminum nitrate in their water. They separated the mice into 4 groups, mice with beer, mice with silicic acid in water, mice with water, and a fourth group that was not given aluminum nitrate at all. The mice with beer or silicic acid fared the best, having the least amount of aluminum in their blood. It is not certain if the benefits extend to humans.
Of course, as usual, scientists state that the effects are only observed with moderate consumption. The benefits drop off significantly after your second pint. So here's to your health!
